* Rio Tinto delays first export from Mongolian copper mine * Shanghai copper falls 3 pct after holiday break * Coming next: U.S. initial jobless claims; 1230 GMT By Silvia Antonioli LONDON, June 13 (Reuters) - Copper fell by nearly 1 percent on Thursday as fears that central banks may curb stimulus programmes earlier than previously expected outweighed concerns about supply disruption and delay at two large copper mines. Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME) was at $7,060 a tonne by 0913 GMT, down 0.8 percent from the close on Wednesday. Lending some support to prices, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc on Wednesday declared force majeure to free itself from obligations to deliver copper concentrate from its Grasberg mine in Indonesia, where work has been suspended after a May accident that killed 28 people. Also Rio Tinto has delayed an event to mark the first exports from the large Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia as it awaits final clearance from the government, sources familiar with the situation said. "The market should be supported by the news on Grasberg and Oyu Tolgoi, but prices are still on retreat because there is a massive cutback on risk assets, and economy-sensitive industrial metals prices also come under pressure when the sentiment becomes gloomy," Commerzbank analyst Eugen Weinberg said. "Right now the outlook for stimulus, which is one of the most supportive factors, is diminishing, so people are looking for an end of QE3 (quantitative easing) and, relatively soon, action from the ECB too, and this is weighing on the market." The World Bank said eventual monetary tightening in advanced economies could crimp growth in emerging markets as interest rates rise. At the same time, risks are rising that China's economic growth will decline further in the second quarter after weekend data showed unexpected weakness in May trade and that domestic activity was struggling to pick up. Shanghai copper fell on Thursday, when trading resumed after a three-day holiday, with the most active October contract dropping by as much as 3 percent to 51,350 yuan ($8,354) a tonne before paring losses. While the decline was largely a catch-up to weakness in London earlier this week, it was indicative that traders are not overly concerned about the supply outlook. "We are seeing a continuing lacklustre macro environment. The Chinese economy isn't showing the necessary signs of improvement that we are all looking for," analyst Stefan Graber at Credit Suisse in Singapore said. "Home appliance sales have been OK, power grid investment has been OK as well, but it's not enough to spur substantial buying. On the supply side, it's fair to say Freeport's force majeure is providing some support, but we don't expect any big shift in either direction." Output from euro zone factories defied market expectations by rising in April, data showed on Wednesday, but the pace of expansion was slowed by a drop in production of energy and durable consumer goods. Metal Prices at 0922 GMT Comex copper in cents/lb, LME prices in $/T and SHFE prices in yuan/T Metal Last Change Pct Move End 2012 Ytd Pct move COMEX Cu 3.18 -0.04 -1.29 365.25 -99.13 LME Alum 1860.00 -4.00 -0.21 2073.00 -10.27 LME Cu 7058.00 -62.00 -0.87 7931.00 -11.01 LME Lead 2094.00 -24.00 -1.13 2330.00 -10.13 LME Nickel 14195.00 -80.00 -0.56 17060.00 -16.79 LME Tin 20302.00 -98.00 -0.48 23400.00 -13.24 LME Zinc 1844.00 -21.00 -1.13 2080.00 -11.35 SHFE Alu 14730.00 -210.00 -1.41 15435.00 -4.57 SHFE Cu* 51980.00 -1210.00 -2.27 57690.00 -9.90 SHFE Zin 14545.00 -255.00 -1.72 15625.00 -6.91 ** Benchmark month for COMEX copper * 3rd contract month for SHFE AL, CU and ZN SHFE ZN began trading on 26/3/07

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